Northern CA, part 1

This is the first of several posts about our recentr vacation to California. For even more pictures, check out the two albums I posted on my facebook page (under the Photos tab).

I went to CA a few days before Brian. The first couple days I spent in northern California (well, just a little north of San Francisco). I took a day-long driving trip with a couple friends I know from Tallahassee who moved to Petaluma a couple years ago. We first drove through wine country and then across the coastal mountains to the ocean. I apologize in advance: these pictures are in reverse chronological order.

The drive over the coastal mountains was insane because the road we were on was very windy and involved a lot of changing elevation. We started to smell the brakes before the halfway piont, which was a little worrisome, but we made it with no problems. It was lucky we were in a jeep--the car I rented would never have made it. Anyway, close to the coast, we stopped in a little valley that was very dark, cold, and earthy. The valley was filled with trees, including many coastal redwoods.

Here I am in that same valley. You can see some ferns growing on the hillside behind me. There were a lot of ferns in the area. I was told that ferns and redwoods often go together, especially in coastal areas. That was certainly true here. We also saw some giant clovers, with individual leaves the size of golf balls (or larger).

This is another place we stopped along the way. The road opened up for a little bit to show us a river we had been following for a while. I am not sure what river it is. The grass is so green in the spring, but most of it will turn a golden hue in the summer (or so I am told). I especially like the oak trees on the hill across the river bank.

This is Lake Sonoma, where we started our drive across the coastal mountains. I couldn't get over how great the air smelled up in the mountains. It was so fresh! We had such great weather for this trip--usually there is some fog or haze, but this day it was very clear. This shot is looking north. To the east, there is a valley filled with vineyards and wineries. To the west, the coastal mountains and eventually, the coast.

Before we started our drive over the mountains, we stopped at a salmon hatchery. It is the time for the salmon to spawn, so we saw some salmon fighting their way upstream. Go salmon go!